


Yorak, son of Kurt

by LaskaSprite



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Monsters & Mana (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 22:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22005763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaskaSprite/pseuds/LaskaSprite
Summary: During a free moment in the Castle of Lions, Keith finally introduces his own character to the Paladins’ Monsters & Mana campaign.
Kudos: 31





	Yorak, son of Kurt

**Author's Note:**

> I’m trying to decide whether to make this part of a longer story or just leave it at this.
> 
> Kurt is the name I’ve always given to Keith’s unnamed father.

The Paladins of Voltron were sat on the sofa in the Castle of Lions, each looking towards the middle of the table on which a holographic board lay. Pidge and Hunk were on one side of the sofa with Allura, and Keith, Shiro and Lance were on the other. Between them, Coran was happily rolling a die between his palms. The die, of course, had twenty sides. All those who had been present during their first game were dreading the time they’d spend catching Keith up on the rules of the game, but as it turned out, there was no need. He was familiar with a similar game they had on Earth, D&D, so he knew all but this particular story.   
Keith was given the quick version: the healer Block (Hunk) and the dwarf Meklavar (Pidge) were on a quest to save the former’s village from eternal petrification. Along the way, they met the thief Pike (Lance) and the archer Valayun (Allura). They also came upon the Paladin Shiro in a particularly shady seat in the back of a tavern. Keith seemed to take great amusement at this introduction, much to the confusion of the Alteans. This escalated when he practically burst into laughter at Meklavar’s backstory. (This was a quest to retrieve a family heirloom: a precious stone that had disappeared long ago.)  
“You’re going to need one too.” Coran said, looking at Keith and fingering his mustache.  
“What?” Keith asked. He’d been too busy mouthing ‘I am fire, I am death’ at Shiro to listen to what the Altean had been saying.  
“You need a brawler! A mage! A berserker! You know, a character!”  
“Alright... sure.” Keith picked up a device. For a few minutes, he said nothing. When he was done, he grabbed his character figure and hid it from the others’ view, stomping on Lance’s hopes of seeing the character before they appeared in the game. Curiously, Keith requested a minute to speak to Coran. While the others heard nothing, they saw them point towards Keith’s character interface multiple times. When they returned, the game could start.  
———  
“Block, Meklavar, Shiro, Pike and Valayun, you all walk out of Block’s village, waved off by the villagers. They’re so grateful for your help that you and your company will be given discounts in stores and inns within the village walls.” Coran started.  
“Then why are we leaving. I saved my people, shouldn’t I stay here?” Hunk asked. Pidge nudged him and reminded him that he had to help the others on their quests, such as Meklavar’s adventure to find his dwarven family heirloom/stone. Lately, Coran had been dropping hints that it may have fallen into the possession of a dragon.  
“You need to make a decision: where to go next?” Coran said. The Paladins turned to each other.  
“There’s a town not far up the road.” Pidge said. Lance groaned.  
“We just left Block’s village! Do we have to go to another town?”  
“Yes.” Pidge said. “ It’s the only way to restock our supplies and figure out the landscape over here. And besides, there’s bound to be a chest to loot.” After that, there were no more complaints from Lance. Coran took them through a detailed description of the road, including a shallow river and an ominous looking forest. He put great emphasis on a strange, low moaning noise that ‘No one could place.’  
“You begin to question the locals, but they don’t seem to know anything. Either that or they don’t trust you. You are a suspicious bunch, after all.” The Paladins looked down in dismay at Hunk’s roll. A three. Nonetheless, they made it to the local tavern, which doubled as an inn on the upper floors. They ordered food and drink as to not seem out of place, and sat down at a particularly large table.  
“After a few minutes of uninterrupted silence between you, a conversation breaks out about where your journey will take you.” Coran said. An effort, no doubt, to move the story along.  
“Well, we need a plan.” Hunk said. “Some of the larger settlements are further along to the East, but where would we go from there?”  
“The resting place of my family heirloom is to the East, but I don’t think we’re prepared for the journey.” Pidge said. “Some of the cities of Men are there, but a little closer. We should try to make for Esgaroth.” Lance seemed to realize the connection to the name of the city.  
“Hey, since when do you get to give your little nerd names to the places here?”  
“Fair enough.” Coran said. “You decide to make for Esgaroth, one of the largest settlements in the area.” He winked at Keith, a gesture that was not seen or known by any of the others. “As you plan, a figure approaches you, his face obscured by a dark hood. He seems cloaked in darkness, you can’t see him clearly. Cursing the bad lighting, you decide whether to speak with him or leave.  
“I don’t know... I suppose he could help us.” Allura said.  
“Yeah, or he could be evil. He might work for whoever killed Shiro’s master, or someone worse.” Hunk butted in.  
“I think we should speak with him. Maybe I can pick his pockets.” Lance said. He seemed to take his character’s role as a thief very seriously.  
“I agree. Maybe we can trust him, maybe we can’t. But we’ll never know if we don’t try.” Shiro said.  
“Then it’s settled.” Coran said. “You look to this mysterious person. At first you think he’s unarmed, but you note the bow on his back and the sword at his side. Sitting next to him is the strangest wolf you’ve ever seen.  
“Who are you? Make yourself known, if you will.” Shiro said. They all waited for Coran to continue, but to their surprise, Keith spoke instead. He made a gesture as if taking off a hood. Even before he spoke, the others realized that this was his character. As he spoke, he placed his figure down on the mat.  
“My name is Yorak, a self trained practitioner in swordsmanship and archery. I couldn’t help but overhear your planning. You say you are going to Esgaroth?”  
“Yep. I’m Meklavar. This is Block, Valayun, Pike and Shiro.” Pidge pointed to each Paladin in turn. “My family’s precious heirloom vanished long ago. We plan to travel to Esgaroth to prepare.”  
“Would you allow me to accompany you?” Keith asked. “Word has it that there may be someone in Esgaroth who may assist me on my own quest. I would continue, but I’m afraid my story has not been a happy one, nor is it short.”  
“We’ve got time.” Allura said. “Pull up a chair.”  
“Yorak nods and sits down in an empty seat, where he begins to tell his tale.” Coran said.  
“I was raised in a small village to the south of the mountains. I lived with my father. My mother, as he told me many times, was missing. During a raid by monsters in the night, she had joined the village guards in fighting them. The enemy was pushed back and the village was saved, but my mother was gone. I was a very small child at the time. Eight years ago, during my sixteenth, another threat presented itself. A mysterious group of strangers appeared. Without warning, they lit a fire that soon consumed the entire village. My father was amongst those who tried to put it out, but to no avail. The blaze was cursed, no doubt. I watched on as my friends, neighbors and cousins were all slain by the sinister group that had set the village alight. My father told me to run and not look behind me. Then he ran into an occupied building to rescue those trapped inside. I never saw him nor another from the village ever again.”  
“I wandered on for days with only the water I could find, and less sleep. Not far from the edge of the forest that surrounded the southern and eastern sides of my village, I collapsed from exhaustion and starvation. Had it not been for Kosmo, I doubt I would have survived.” Keith, of course, was referring to his character’s wolf companion. “He found me and woke me. It was strange, but I felt I could understand him. He told me of a town where I could rest. It was the town’s inn where I decided how continue on. I would train as a swordsman and travel the world, looking for signs of those who destroyed my village, but also my mother. Learning archery came as a surprise, but both weapons felt natural in my hands. I recently heard that a relative of one of the victims of the Fire lives in Esgaroth. Please, allow me to join you. In return, I shall aid you however I can.”  
“We’d love to have you with us.” Shiro said. The rest of the team nodded, but even if they would rather have ditched Keith there and then, they couldn’t.  
“Welcome aboard. I’m Pike, a deadly assassin who strikes from the shadows. You better watch your pockets, Yorak. Humans are so easy to steal from.” Lance said. “And you’ll never know I’m coming, since I’m so quiet!” The rest of the team laughed. Even Keith smiled, however slight it may have been.  
“Yeah, really quiet.” He said.


End file.
